


Beneath the Dirt

by zombiesandpenguins



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Bath Houses, Caleb Widogast Has Issues, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mollymauk is a disaster, Nonsexual Nudity, Panic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-06-27 11:46:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15684804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombiesandpenguins/pseuds/zombiesandpenguins
Summary: Molly worries about Caleb. Caleb worries about everything. They're both disaters.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, this is my first story I've ever posted on this site, I might add more chapters to this, but feedback is extremely appreciated, and please don't be afraid to provide constructive criticism!

Caleb was a dirty man; there was no denying that, but, Molly thought to himself, he hoped that was true in more ways than one. Molly may not have been alive very long, but he has learned what he likes in that time despite effectively being a fully-grown two-year-old. He likes loud colors and sparkling jewelry, he likes good food and good company -- bonus if the company is feeding him the food, he likes showing off his markings, especially if they are new and voluntary, and he likes one particular member of their party more than the others. And, no, it’s not Yasha. As lovely as she is, he doesn’t think either of them would enjoy going to bed with the other.

The dirt-covered Zemnian had always intrigued Molly, but when he saw Caleb sparkling clean after their first encounter with Pumat Sol… well it was eye-opening to say the least. It had made Molly realize that 1. Caleb was much younger than he originally assumed, the dirt adding lines and shadows that had no business being on his face, and that 2. Gods, he was beautiful. And when Caleb’s face had returned to its mud-covered status quo, Molly was torn between wanting to see more of the man underneath and privately wanting to keep the secret of Caleb’s attractiveness all to himself. Of course this could be solved if he were able to get Caleb clean and alone, but that was a fantasy to be explored later.

Molly took the group’s adventure to the bathhouse as an opportunity to put on a bit of a show, like the peacock he is on the inside, and wondered if Caleb’s awkwardness was because he was uncomfortable with the obvious sexual tension and ogling going on between a few members of their party, or if it was because Caleb was part of that tension. He hoped it was a little bit of both.

After their encounter with that damned tabaxi and the subsequent circle of truth interrogation back at the inn, Molly was mostly exhausted and distraught, but he was also aware of Caleb’s insistence on using _his_ name, the one he chose for himself, and he was endlessly grateful for that. He was not grateful, however, for Jester’s question ambiguously aimed at Yasha that he foolishly answered as well. In hindsight, it was obviously an attempt at wingmanning for Beau, but Molly ended up admitting his attraction for someone in the group. Granted, there was very little risk of anyone figuring out who it was; Caleb was pretty socially oblivious, and Molly flirted with all of them except Nott, so he doubted Caleb would single out himself as the object of Molly’s affection. And he wasn’t sure if he was grateful for that or not.

It became apparent over the next few days that either Caleb had not made the connection or, if he had, he was not going to do anything about it. It was during the Harvest Close Festival that Molly decided he needed to do something about his quickly growing affection for the wizard. Seeing him in those giant glasses was adorable, yes, but watching him try and fail at the archery game was so pathetically endearing that Molly wasn’t sure he could take it anymore. Of course then they were all distracted by the Victory Pit, the prospect of war, and the joys of the Pillow Trove.

When Molly had finished with his particular joys, he flounced back into the girls’ room with only his fruit and his tapestry only to find it lacking one particular member of the party. Tracking him down was a little more complicated than Molly expected. Beau informed him that Caleb had gotten another room on account of Molly’s chosen form of entertainment (really, he should have expected that), but she also said that Caleb probably wanted to be alone. He went anyway, only to find Nott, chewing on a rat. She said that Caleb had gone outside to get some air, and well then Molly had to go put on some real clothes because he figured a mostly-naked purple tiefling wandering around in the middle of the night might draw some unwanted attention from the Crownsguard.

By the time he was mostly clothed and made his way outside, Caleb seemed to be circling back from a walk around the block. And if Molly was being honest with himself, Caleb looked awful. He looked even more exhausted than usual and seemed to be shaking despite the heavy coat he always had on. Molly approached him slowly, and Gods, Caleb must have been really out of it because he didn’t notice until Molly was right in front of him.

Caleb jumped a little when he finally noticed Molly, but relaxed a little after a second.

“Oh, Mollymauk, hello. What are you doing out here? And where is your shirt?”

“Looking for you, and presumably in some corner of Fjord and I’s room. More importantly, what are you -- someone who is susceptible to the cold -- doing out here?”

“Today has been, ah, overwhelming to say the least. I needed some air.”

“That’s fair. Allow me to walk you back to your room?” The poor wizard really wasn’t used to lots of attention, so the Victory Pit must have worn him out, Molly thought to himself.

“Molly, I don’t really feel like conversation right now.”

“No conversation then. Think of me as your walking hearth. Warm as a fire, but safer to touch.” And with that, the tiefling offered his bare arm to the shaking human.

Molly’s arm was, surprisingly, very warm to the touch, and Caleb found himself tentatively taking it. And, as promised, Molly silently guided him back to Caleb’s room. He was a little surprised that Molly had discovered the additional room he had purchased, and for a moment panicked that Beau had told everyone what happened before trying to push down the thought. No, he thought, if Beau had told, Molly wouldn’t have bothered to look for him. The rationale was not the greatest comfort, but it helped stave off the panic; time for that later. And as Caleb remembered the origin of those words, the flashback in the Howling Mines, he realized that Molly had been the one to go to him then too.

“Well here you are.” Molly said as they stopped at Caleb’s door. The wizard couldn’t hear the sounds of his goblin friend eating, so he figured she must have either gone to sleep or gone to the girl’s room, which was currently emitting various giggles and light shrieks.

Molly noticed his lack of movement and gently let go of his arm to open the door. The loss of warmth shook Caleb away from his thoughts and he realized that the door was open, and there was no goblin curled up on the bed or on the floor.

“Mollymauk,” Caleb started, before stopping because he realized he didn’t know what to say, only that he wanted to say something. “Thank you for, ah, being my hearth, as you put it.” And then he stood there silently staring at the doorway.

“Caleb?”

“Ja?”

“Do you need something else?’

“...Ja.”

Molly gingerly put a hand on the small of Caleb’s back, the other man jumping a bit at the unexpected contact, and began to lead him into his room. Once they were actually inside the room, Molly began to close the door behind him and Caleb looked at him in confusion.

“Is this okay?” Molly asked.

“Ja, I just didn’t expect you to stay.”

Molly closed the door.

“Caleb, if you need something I’m going to stay until you tell me to leave. Possibly longer if I don’t think your judgement is sound.”

Caleb looked at the ground. “Thank you” he said weakly.

“I’m guessing you don’t want to talk about whatever’s bothering you?”

“Not really, no.”

“Okay, that’s fair. Would you like to talk about something else?” Caleb gave him a questioning look in response. “Like how bad you are at archery.” Molly offered and Caleb groaned and fell back on the bed.

“That is the reason why I am a wizard and not a ranger.”

“And here I thought it was your affinity for magic, my mistake.”

“Ja, that too, Mollymauk.” Caleb rolled his eyes.

“Honestly, I think you’d make a great ranger, well if you could shoot.” Caleb shot him a withering gaze and Molly leaned onto the bed next to him. “Really though, imagine it! You in the shadows, away from the front lines, picking off enemies one by one.”

“I think I’d be more concerned about hitting one of you with the way you’re always rushing right into danger.”

Molly gave a hearty laugh, “Yes I think you might be right about that.”

Caleb sat up, struggling a bit, and began to remove his heavy coat and books that he kept strapped to his waist, and Molly eyed him curiously. “If I’m going to be laying down for a while, I’d rather not have books poking me in the back.”

Molly simply nodded in response as he was busy watching Caleb carefully undo the leather straps around his waist. They sat in silence like this for a while, Caleb focused on putting away his books, and Molly focused on Caleb. Eventually, Caleb deposited himself back on the bed without his coat, his books, or his boots. It took a moment before he realized the incredibly… personal position they were in. Both sprawled on his bed, Caleb only in his (formerly) white tunic and pants, and Molly only in his ridiculous pants.

This caused Caleb to blush a little, head rising up his neck and to his cheeks and ears.

Molly saw this and was instantly both amused and curious.

“Something bothering you, darling?” Molly asked with a light chuckle.

“No.” Caleb said indignantly, blushing harder. “Why do you always dress like that?”

“I’m not dressed like much of anything right now.”

“Ja that exactly. Even without your coat and swords you’re always a spectacle.”

“Sweetheart, if you think this is bad you should have seen me before I went looking for you outside.”

“I’m not sure I want to know --”

“Remember that tapestry I bought earlier?”

“Ja?” Caleb answered cautiously.

Molly just nodded and waggled his eyebrows. Caleb gaped at him.

“Went into the girl’s room with a tray of fruit like that. Jester was very excited, but then of course I had to put on pants to go outside to find you.”

“Why?” Caleb suddenly asked.

“Well I figured a tiefling wandering around the Tri Spires in just a tapestry of the Platinum Dragon would have definitely gotten some unwanted attention.”

“While you are absolutely correct, I meant why did you come find me?”

That made Molly pause and he had to figure out what to say without incriminating himself. “Everyone else was enjoying our victory and celebrating, it didn’t seem right that you weren’t there.”

“I’m still not celebrating with the others though.”

“No, but you’re not alone in the cold anymore either, so I’d call this a definite improvement.”

“Well I cannot argue with that.”

“Why do _you_ always dress like that?” Molly countered.

This time it was Caleb’s turn to pause and try not to incriminate himself. He was a trash person, and he ought to look like a trash person, but he couldn’t exactly explain that to Molly without revealing his awful past.

“It is unassuming. No one will think much of a dirty man on the street, and that is useful when you are trying to rob people.”

Molly thought for a minute, the rational made sense for the most part, but something about the explanation bothered him. “But you don’t need to do that anymore. You’re with us now and your life doesn’t revolve around robbing and conning people.”

Caleb looked away. “I like blending into the background. I do not want to be the center of attention like you.”

“That’s totally fair,” Molly conceited, “I just wish you’d clean up more often.”

Caleb physically shrank at that and curled in on himself. “I am sorry that I apparently disgust you too.”

“No, no, darling that’s not what I meant!” Fuck, Molly thought to himself, now he’s upset Caleb and there’s no backtracking without explaining his attraction. “Caleb, you don’t disgust me at all. I just meant that… underneath all that dirt you’re quite a beautiful man, and I’d like to see that side of you more.”

The man who was actively trying to blend into the bed sheets went dead still and slowly, ever so slowly, began to turn towards Molly.

“You do not find me repulsive?”

“Not in the slightest, sweetheart.”

“You… you think I am…” Caleb could not make himself say the word “beautiful,” even the thought was almost too much.

“Beautiful, darling, yes, of course I do.”

“Why?”

“Would you really like me to go into detail?”

“No… I think that would only send me further into shock.”

“Is it really that shocking?”

“Ja.” Was all Caleb could say in response. Beautiful. Molly thought he was beautiful, and of course Caleb thought the same about the other man. How could he not? He was tall and slender, but well built, and purple for gods’ sake and he always put care into his appearance, but he had never thought of it any farther than as simple appreciation, and he certainly never thought the appreciation would be reciprocated. Never thought that anyone would see him that way. It was all too much to take in. Caleb needed a minute to think things through, and, gods bless him, Molly did not interrupt.

“Mollymauk?” Caleb asked, sitting up to look at him.

“Yes?” he replied patiently, though he was panicking on the inside.

“You find me attractive?”

“Yes, I do.”

“And, when Jester cast zone of truth, and asked Yasha if she found anyone especially attractive, but you answered instead, and you said yes… you - you weren’t talking about me, right? I mean I’m sure you think Fjord or Jester is more attractive and I’m just somewhere lower on the list, right?”

“No, I was talking about you.”

Caleb looked even more bewildered than he had earlier at learning that, not only did Molly find him attractive, but he found him the _most_ attractive of their friends.

Meanwhile, Molly was having a crisis about the possibility of having broken their wizard and potentially destroying their team, not to mention the looming threat of rejection. Oh gods, Molly thought, he was so upset and now he’s so confused and he probably thinks I’m lying to make him feel better, or worse he knows I’m telling the truth and just hates me.

“Mollymauk?”

“Yes, Caleb?” He responded after getting startled out of his panic.

“I - ah - I also think that you are someone who is of the attractive variety.”

And as Molly took a moment to collect his thoughts from this revelation, Caleb continued to internally panic. And as Caleb was worrying about how Molly would react, he began to realize that he harbored more than just attraction for the other man. He had feelings for Molly too.

“Caleb, darling, if I’m getting this right, I think you’re attractive, and you think I’m attractive, and we’re both panicking about it?”

“Ja.” Molly was panicking too? That was something the wizard had not expected. Granted, he hadn’t expected any of this.

“Why?” Molly exclaimed with a small laugh.

“Well you see, sometimes attraction comes with feelings, and sometimes it does not and if we are feeling two different ways about it, then that could lead to some conflict, no?”

“Caleb,” Molly spoke softly and slowly, “I understand if you have too many other things swirling around that big, beautiful brain of yours to bother with feelings. I won’t hold that against you or think any less of you for it, but if not… well I think you’ll find you’re not alone.”

At this point, Caleb had gone through so many stages of panic that he didn’t have the willpower to try and sift through this much information. He was pretty sure Molly had admitted to having feelings for him, and he had done so in such a way that made Caleb feel so _safe_ so accepted and not pressured or ostracized. That was enough for Caleb as he, without a second thought, pulled Molly into a tight hug.

Molly, to his credit, had been expecting a polite rejection of some variety. Something to the effect of “I don’t have time for someone as wild and complicated as you when I’m trying to protect myself and my goblin-child.” So he was understandably surprised when Caleb chose to forgo words and simply hug him. For a brief moment he didn’t know what to do, but he quickly came to his senses and hugged the wizard back, holding him close and rubbing little circles into his back.

“I take it the feelings are mutual?”

“Ja.” Caleb said into his shoulder.

“Thank the gods,” Molly whispered and kissed the top of his head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly does something nice for Caleb.

Caleb was a generally terrified man. He was terrified of his powers, of knowing what he could do, and had done. He was terrified of people finding out about his past. He was terrified of Trent Ikithon. He was regularly terrified of the things the Mighty Nein fought, and now that he and Mollymauk had had their little exchange, he had so much more to lose and was even more frightened. Caleb didn’t know what they were or how he was supposed to act around Molly now. If he came on too strong, the tiefling might think he was needy or creepy or two emotional, but if he acted the same as before, Caleb worried that Molly would think he wasn’t interested and they would be back to square one.

Basically, Caleb was over thinking himself into oblivion.

Meanwhile, Molly was ecstatic over the new development, but he still had a healthy amount of anxiety about not wanting to scare Caleb or pressure him. It had been a few days since they had shared their feelings with each other, and since then the Mighty Nein had hit the road and really cut into Molly’s plans for the two of them. Nevertheless, the group had made it to the swamp, made a few new friends, gotten their tour guide killed by a troll, and cleared the safehouse for The Gentleman, and now, Molly really needed a bath.

It was with some difficulty that Molly managed to find a decent bath house in Berleben, but he did it, and as soon as he knew where it was, he went to find Caleb.

Caleb had been talking a walk with Nott and Kiri when Molly approached, and he did so slowly to give them time to wrap up their conversation.

“Caleb, darling!” Molly announced as he approached, and as he did, Kiri responded.

“Welcome to the Mighty Nein!”

Caleb looked down fondly at the little kenku girl and gently rubbed her on the head. “Yes, Mollymauk?”

“I have a proposition for you.”

“I am listening,” Caleb responded as Nott tried, and failed to get Kiri to stop mimicking her.

“I say we take the little ones back to the inn, and spend some time exploring the city.”

“Normally, I would say that sounds lovely, but I don’t think there is much in this...place worth exploring.”

“Oh I’m sure I could find a thing or two that you liked.”

“Is there a bookstore?”

Shit. Molly hadn’t thought of that, and now he was chastising himself for only thinking of what he wanted, which was Caleb. Alone. With him. In a hot bath house aaaand there was no time for that line of thought now.

“Maybe!” Molly conceded, maybe there was, “Why don’t you go leave these two in Jester’s very capable hands, and meet me outside the inn.”

And as Caleb took the two girls by the hands, Molly ran off down the streets in search of a bookstore. Mercifully, he found one. It was small, but it had books and he was able to memorize its location before circling back to where Caleb was waiting for him.

“Enjoy your walk?” Caleb asked questioningly.

“I had to check on something. Now,” Molly held out his arm to the other man, “are you ready?”

Caleb hesitantly took it like he had a few days before outside the Pillow Trove, and Molly began to lead him around the streets of Berleben. Caleb could feel himself sweating despite the cool air, and Molly must have noticed his nerves because the tiefling gave his hand a gentle squeeze and while Caleb was sure it was meant to be comforting, all he could think was, “I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve him or his kindness, what am I doing here?” But, he continued to let Molly lead him around until they came to something that made Caleb’s jaw drop.

“ _Books_.” He said aloud.

The store was small and not in very good condition, the sign hung at an angle and the windows were dirty, but in Caleb’s eyes it was gorgeous. He looked wide eyed at Molly, and Molly simply grinned and opened the door for him. Caleb stepped inside and took in the scent; it was damp and dusty, but it still smelled of books and it made his heart swell a little. Looking around, it seemed to be mostly a used book store, with a lot of the merchandise not in the best condition, but Caleb didn’t care.

“I know it’s not much -” Molly started, but Caleb cut him off.

“It is lovely. Thank you, Mollymauk.”

Eventually, the owner came out and offered to help if they needed anything and they spent the better part of an hour looking at the small selection, and Caleb left with a book on the history of the area that had a dog-eared page about a third of the way through like someone had tried to get through the book before deciding they didn’t like it. Caleb, though, Caleb loved it.

When they left, Caleb took Molly’s arm without thinking twice about it and allowed himself to be lead around the town knowing that, whatever happens next, the evening had already been great. It was while he was thinking about this (and his new book) that Caleb realized they had stopped, and then he realized that they had stopped in front of a bath house. Anxiety about his appearance began to creep in again as he remembered that he had spent the last two days basically swimming in swamp water and he worried about what Molly must think of him and how he was such a horrible person that he deserved to look and smell like he does, but Molly squeezed his hand again and turned to him.

“Hey, none of that now, sweetheart, this isn’t about your appearance. This is about the fact that we’ve had a long few days and deserve something warm and relaxing. Okay?” Molly said easily.

“Ja, okay.” Caleb calmed a bit at Molly’s words and then suddenly began to panic again at the _other_ implications of where they were and what he had said. Caleb may not have much experience, but he wasn’t naive either, he knew what it meant when two adults walked into a bath house together. As much as he liked Molly (and let’s be honest, he would like the view of Molly in there too) he wasn’t sure he was ready for that level of intimacy and vulnerability. Granted, he had technically been to a bath house with Molly before, but the rest of the team was there and somehow that was less uncomfortable. This time, Caleb squeezed Molly’s hand as a sign of distress, and Molly quickly turned around to see the panic all over Caleb’s face.

As soon as Molly saw the state Caleb was in, he was overcome with guilt. “I shouldn’t have brought him here,” he thought, “this is clearly moving much too fast for him and it was selfish of me to try and push this on him. I should have just taken him back to the inn after the bookstore, end on a good note.” This all happened in a split second though, because as soon as Molly thought all that he realized that now was not the time to be getting caught up in guilt and self doubt; now was the time to be comforting Caleb, and he squeezed the other man’s hand back.

“Darling, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. If you’re uncomfortable, we can walk right back to The Drowned Nest and call it a night if that’s what you want.” Molly led Caleb to a stone bench off to the side and sat the both of them down.

“No, I don’t want to go back, not yet, I just…” he paused and took a deep breath. “What are your intentions with this little excursion?”

“Nothing nefarious, I assure you.” Molly said, rubbing little circles into Caleb’s palm with his thumb. “I just wanted to spend some time with you, away from the others, but I would never make you do anything you weren’t comfortable with.”

Caleb took a few more breaths to slow his breathing.

“I know this is a lot for you,” Molly began, “but I want you to know that you are perfectly safe with me. I would never hurt you or judge you or try and exploit your weaknesses. I would never knowingly do anything that would cause you harm or stress.”

And with that, Caleb started to calm a bit again. “I am sorry to have bothered you with that, Mollymauk.”

Molly just shushed him in response, “You never need to apologize for having emotions or for needing a minute to calm down, okay?”

“Okay,” Caleb said and ran his hands through his hair, though one of them was still clutching Molly’s hand so it was somewhat of an awkward motion as he pulled Molly’s hand through his hair as well.

“Have you come to a decision?” Molly asked lightly after giving Caleb a few minutes to come back down.

“Ja, I think I would like to do uh that,” he gestured to the door of the bath house, “with you,” he said, staring wide eyed at Molly as if he was surprised he managed to say that.

“Oh, wow, okay um.” Molly began, fully prepared to have to save this for another night. “Separate baths, public bath, or private bath together?”

“Ah private, but um, together?” Caleb answered awkwardly. Their conversation had helped assuage some of his worries about vulnerability, so while Caleb was still intensely nervous about the prospect of being alone with Molly in a steamy bath, he was also excited.

  
“One couple’s bath it is, then!” Molly said standing, and grinned as the other man blushed and Molly helped him to his feet.

The storefront didn’t have any windows, probably to give its guests some privacy, so neither of them knew what to expect. The inside was mostly treated wood of a caramel color, and there were a few lanterns that gave the inside a warm glow, but nothing extravagant. A young dwarven woman sat behind the counter and smiled when they walked in.

“A private bath for my companion and myself?” Molly asked, leaning on the counter.

“Of course, sir. Would you like your clothes laundered as well?“ She asked hesitantly, glancing over the two of them.

“That would be lovely, thank you.” And he put the money on the counter as they were lead behind a curtain and into a private room.

The bath was either big enough for one person who liked a lot of space or two people who were very close. There were a few candles in glass jars to keep the flames from licking the wood and a small amount of incense by the tub.

“You can put your clothes in that basket and slide it through when you’re done.” She gestured to a wicker basket on the floor, sticking halfway out of the wall with a flap leaning over it. “If you need anything else, just pull that cord and a bell will ring by my desk.”

And with that, she closed the door and left them alone.

“Well,” Molly said, “I’m getting in that.” And he started tossing his clothes in the basket.

Caleb watched as the purple tiefling stripped naked and disappeared into the steamy bath, and, to his credit, he only blushed a little. After taking a moment to steel himself, he began putting his belongings on the bench next to Molly’s swords, folded his clothes into the basket, and pushed the basket through the slot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is shorter and it took so long to get out, school started for me again and I didn't have as much time to work on this as I wanted, BUT chapter three is almost done, so I promise the wait shouldn't be as long after this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end!

Molly had settled into the bath and was leaning his head back with his eyes closed, and Caleb climbed into the tub next to him, but Caleb did not relax. Caleb sat ramrod straight and eventually Molly opened one eye to check on him.

“You alright darling?”

“Ja.” Caleb replied automatically. “... no.”

“Anxious?”

“Ja.”

Molly reached out and laid a hand on Caleb’s shoulder. He tensed, but Molly just squeezed and rubbed little circles into his skin. Eventually, Caleb began to relax into the touch. He leaned into Molly’s hand, but he still drew his knees up to his chest.

“Mollymauk, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, love.”

“Why me?”

Molly stopped rubbing his shoulder for a minute to think. “Because I like you, and I want to be with you and spend time with you.”

“But why? I am not much to be admired. I am weak and awkward and canonically the coward of the group, and look at you! You’re just… so much more than me.”

And suddenly, he seemed very small to Molly, and Molly’s heart broke a little at hearing how the other man thought of himself. So Molly pulled Caleb closer, drew the wizard into his lap, and kissed the top of his head, murmuring little reassurances.

“Darling,” Molly started, wrapping his arms around Caleb, “I think you are absolutely wonderful. You’re brilliant; without you, we would have gotten lost in that swamp, and who cares if you get scared sometimes, or all the time! We need that to keep people like me and Beau from running into danger constantly. Do you know how much trouble we would have gotten into without you? Caleb we need you. I need you.”

Caleb’s brain short circuited a little at this, and he was quiet for a minute before he spoke. “You are too kind to me, and I am very selfish, so I will not tell you to stop.”

“Good cause I don’t think you could make me stop anyway.” Caleb giggled slightly at this. “Now,” Molly said, kissing Caleb’s shoulder and grabbing a bar of soap, “will you let me wash your hair?”

Caleb felt himself flush a deep red and let out a weak “Ja, that is - that is fine.”

He felt the water ripple a little behind him before Molly’s hands started gently massaging the soap into his hair. He had not had his hair washed by someone else since his time at the asylum, and this was much better than that. The memories of cold water and rough hands violating his personal space threatened to overwhelm him, but Molly’s soft pressure and quiet humming brought him back. Caleb knew he was being selfish, and he knew that Molly would not be doing this if the other man knew about his past, but Caleb couldn’t bring himself to tell Molly and ruin everything. He heard Molly talking to him, but he couldn’t make out what.

“Hmm?” Caleb intoned quietly.

Molly let out a little laugh, “I asked where you were, darling.”

“I am right here?” Caleb answered hesitantly. “I do not understand.”

“Your body might be here, and I’m glad it is, but your mind was far away.”

“Oh. Sorry, I was just thinking.”

“Don’t apologize. I think it’s cute that you get lost in thought sometimes. Wanna tell me what you were thinking about?”

“Not really.” Caleb said quietly.

“That’s fine, love. Can you dip your head for me?”

“Ja, that I can do.” Caleb scooted forward and leaned back until his scalp was underwater and he felt Molly’s hands washing the soap out of his hair. Eventually, Molly drew him back up and Caleb found himself moving back against Molly without thinking. For a second, he worried that he had done something wrong, but Molly just settled in closer to him and began working up a lather with the soap again.

Molly spoke up as he laid his hands on Caleb’s shoulders and began to massage the soap in, “Thank you for coming with me tonight.”

Caleb snorted and slowly, tentatively, felt himself growing more comfortable. He stretched out in the water and started lightly tracing patterns on Molly’s knee with his finger tips. “Why are you thanking me for letting you take me to a bookstore and a bath house? I should be thanking you!” Suddenly, Caleb felt a little guilty for taking advantage of Molly’s kindness. “What do I owe you? For today.”

“Nothing, darling, you don’t owe me anything.”

“Molly, please, I - ”

“Caleb, I’m doing this because I want to be nice to you, not because I want you to owe me. Please don’t feel like you owe me anything.”

Caleb blushed at the sudden tenderness, and though he agreed, he made a mental note to do something nice for Molly later.

Meanwhile, Molly moved on from washing and massaging Caleb’s shoulders to actually taking care of himself. Caleb missed the contact, but he reluctantly shuffled over to the other side of the tub so he could face Molly.

“Like what you see?” Molly asked, smirking, when he caught Caleb staring.

“Ich, no, I - ah,” Caleb quickly looked away.

Molly giggled. “It’s okay, darling, I don’t mind you staring...I kinda like it.” He added, flushing a darker purple.

So Caleb looked. He indulged himself to finally take a good look at Molly, taking his time to draw his eyes over the purple skin, the thin scars, and muscles that were strong but not too bulky. The soapy water prevented a good look at anything below the surface, and Caleb was grateful for the little bit of modesty it provided. Caleb had seen Molly’s tattoos before, but he was still struck by how beautiful and intricate they were.

What Caleb didn’t know, was that Molly was doing the same from across the water. Molly was in awe of how different Caleb looked when he wasn’t covered in dirt and swamp water. For example, Molly had no idea that Caleb’s adorable freckles continued down his shoulders and chest. It had been so long since Molly had seen Caleb sparking clean, and though he adored the dripping-wet look the wizard currently had going on, he was impatient to see if Caleb’s hair would get as floofy as he thought it would when it dried.

The two men sat in comfortable silence for a while before Caleb jumped in surprise as he felt something brush against his leg in the water.

“Sorry! Sorry,” Molly quickly apologized as a purple tail emerged from the water, “it has a mind of its own when I’m not paying attention.”

Caleb took a deep breath. “Have you been actively controlling it this whole time?”

“Yeah…” Molly said quietly, “I didn’t want it to bother you while I was washing your hair. I thought it might, I don’t know make you uncomfortable.”

“Molly.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t control it.”

“Okay.” He said softly as his tail immediately wound its way around Caleb’s calf. The wizard gasped a little at the sudden contact, but otherwise didn’t react to it. Caleb liked the contact, it was warm, and only once he realized it was warm did he realize that the bath was getting cold.

“Mollymauk, ah, I think it is time that we get dressed and head back to the inn, ja?”

Molly looked up and noticed that Caleb had drawn his arms in against the cooling water.

“Yes, darling, you must be freezing - shit - stay right there.” And then the purple man drew himself out of the water, and while Caleb felt compelled to look away as Molly was getting up, he did not feel the same compulsion once Molly was turned away. His calves and thighs were just as muscled as the rest of him, and his tail swung back and forth behind him (though the tip was still pointing towards Caleb and the bath). Then, the view was obstructed by a fluffy white towel being wrapped around Molly’s waist. He immediately turned around with another one in hand and wrapped it over Caleb’s head and shoulders (avoiding the water), kissed the top of Caleb’s head, and began pulling the wizard out of the water, eyes looked the whole time.

Caleb was blushing down his chest and up his ears and wanted to look away, but kept his eyes glued to Molly’s the whole time. Molly tussled Caleb’s hair with the towel and then wrapped it around his waist without breaking eye contact. Caleb secured the towel and took Molly’s offered hand to step out of the bath.

True to the dwarf woman’s word, the wicker basket was back on their side of the wall and contained two very different outfits that now, at least, smelled clean. The dirt was gone too, but there were still some stains and no amount of cleaning could undo the years of wear Caleb’s coat had sustained. And honestly? Caleb prefered it that way. It was familiar.

Caleb stepped into his clothes very carefully, piece by piece, trying to keep the towel around him as much as possible to preserve its warmth. Molly, on the other hand, dropped his towel as soon as he saw his clothes and bent over to wrap it around his hair as best he could, avoiding his horns. He carefully examined each article of clothing before putting it on and eventually returned to all of the jewelry he had set on the bench. Caleb was once again struck by how beautiful he is.

The two of them made their way out of the bathhouse back to the inn, Caleb relying heavily on Molly’s guidance through the dark night. When Molly dropped Caleb off at his room, they found that Nott was mysteriously absent from it. Caleb had a brief moment of panic before he heard laughter and her hoarse voice coming from across the hall.

In a rare moment of confidence, Caleb turned to Molly and said, “Möchtest du die Nacht bleiben?” and then “Scheisse!” as Molly gave him a blank stare and he realized he said all that in Zemnian. The confidence faded from him as quickly as it came, and he put his head in his hands and groaned.

Molly laughed and pulled Caleb closer, and Caleb pressed his face into Molly’s shoulder and groaned again. “What were you trying to say my love?”

“ _Nein_. I cannot. I tried and I cannot.”

“But, _darling_ , c’mon I won’t laugh.”

“You just laughed!” Caleb said from his spot on Molly’s shoulder.

“I laughed at your reaction because you didn’t realize you were speaking in Zemnian! I won’t laugh at what you’re actually trying to say.”

Caleb paused for a long time. “Woof yu lds ay anut?”

“Sweetheart you’re muffled.”

He sighed heavily. “Would you, Mollymauk, like to, to stay. The night. With me. In this room.” He darted his eyes through the open door and into the room while waiting for Molly to respond.

  
Molly gave him a quick peck on the cheek and said “I thought you’d never ask.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So thank you for everyone who read and wow I'm really bad at updating quickly sorry midterms are happening right now, but here's the end of my first fic! I may make a smutty sequel?? Maybe??? I would also love to write more about these two but I don't have any solid inspiration/ideas so if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them! Thank you!! <3


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